Villagers fight to keep rights of way

Members of Treeton Parish Council said they would contact Rotherham Council to ask for the paths to be reinstated to ensure that people can access the countryside near their homes.

Parish councillors said they were not willing to accept suggestions from rights of way officers who have proposed removing some of the old rights of way that existed on the massive Waverley site.

Locals claim the paths were in use when the site was occupied by Orgreave Colliery and Orgreave coke and chemical works and before the River Rother was realigned to allow the opencast mine to be dug.

In a letter to the parish council, Rotherham Council stated that it proposed protecting new routes and removing old rights of way that no longer reflect the geography of the site.

But at a recent meeting the parish council was told that one of the old rights of way provided a direct walk from the restored site to Handsworth and the proposed route meant a long detour via Orgreave to get to Handsworth.